Don’t Repeat Ekiti Rigging Strategy Under Any Guise, APC Warns Jonathan, PDP

Gentlemen, we have additional information to give you on
what has now become Ekitigate. Contrary to the general belief,
it was not just the military that was involved. It was the entire
gamut of the nation’s security agencies: The police, the State
Security Service (SSS) and the Civil Defence. They were all
constituted into a task force that was deployed to each local
government and placed under the command of the PDP. We
have the names of all the servicemen involved in the criminal
act, as well as their service and telephones numbers. On the
morning of the Ekiti election, not one APC leader was a free
man or woman. They were either in detention, in hiding or on
the run, because the task force carried out its duty with brutal
efficiency.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Jonathan
lead administration and the ruling party, Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) that it should not repeat Ekiti rigging strategy
under any guise.
This was made known, Monday, during a press conference by
the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in
Lagos.
The Statement read thus
As you are very much aware, the final countdown has begun to
the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for
Saturday, March 28th.
As the clock ticks toward the D-Day, we are compelled to alert
Nigerians, local and foreign election observers and indeed the
international community to the strategy being employed by the
PDP-led Jonathan Administration to manipulate the elections,
using what we call the Modified Ekiti Rigging Strategy.
It is no longer news that a Captain in the Nigerian Army, Sagir
Koli, has exposed how the Administration used the military to
rig the Governorship Election in Ekiti on June 21st 2014.
According to Capt. Sagir, soldiers were put at the behest of
designated PDP officials at each of the 16 local governments in
the state to work with the officials to rig the elections.
Once the PDP officials pointed out any APC leader in a
particular local government, such leader was either arrested and
detained or simply hounded into hiding. APC leaders who were
arrested also had the funds in their possession, including
money to pay party agents and for other logistics, confiscated
as they were detained till well after the election.
Gentlemen, we have additional information to give you on what
has now become Ekitigate. Contrary to the general belief, it was
not just the military that was involved. It was the entire gamut
of the nation’s security agencies: The police, the State Security
Service (SSS) and the Civil Defence. They were all constituted
into a task force that was deployed to each local government
and placed under the command of the PDP. We have the names
of all the servicemen involved in the criminal act, as well as
their service and telephones numbers. On the morning of the
Ekiti election, not one APC leader was a free man or woman.
They were either in detention, in hiding or on the run, because
the task force carried out its duty with brutal efficiency.
In view of the global outcry over the Ekiti show of shame, there
is a plan to slightly modify it for Saturday’s election, hence
what we have now termed the Modified Ekiti Rigging Strategy.
Since indications are that the military is no longer willing to be
used for such an illegal act, and other security agencies know
they will be under the searchlight on election days, those who
are averse to a free, fair, credible and violence-free polls have
simply come up with the plan to sew military and police
uniforms for their party thugs to wear on election day so they
can rig the elections for the PDP! A large number of uniformed
personnel on election day will be those donning fake uniforms
and ranks, and their mandate will be to rig for the PDP and
terrorize opposition members and supporters.
They have also mobilized ethnic militias across the country:
MASSOB in the South East; OPC in the South West and ex-
militants in the Niger Delta. Mobilized under the pretext of a 9
billion Naira pipeline contract, the marching order given to the
ethnic militias is to destabilize the election in their respective
regions, thus rendering it inconclusive. After all, the PDP knows
it cannot win a free, fair and peaceful election. The highly
disruptive and armed protest by the OPC in Lagos last Monday
was a dress rehearsal for the plot.
Also, thugs have been trained in several South Western States,
particularly Ondo and Ogun States, to disrupt the coming
elections. In Ondo State, training was organized by the PDP
new leadership in Ilaje/Okitipupa zone. These thugs, numbering
over 300, were given two weeks training in weapons use under
a Commander/President called Miti. They have now been moved
in 12 buses to join the Ogun State Group from where they will
be dispatched to other states in the South West, with arms.
For the Northern part of the country, the plot is to deploy the
Special Forces, who were trained in Belarus, to the liberated
territories in the North East, ostensibly to hold the liberated
territories but in reality to rig the election for the PDP. Also,
Vice President Namadi Sambo has met with security chiefs in
Kaduna with a request that they must deliver 2 million votes to
the PDP anyhow, with promises of mouth-watering incentives
include cash and promotion
Gentlemen, the Inspector-General of Police and the Service
Chiefs are also part of the plot. You will recall the unlawful
warning issued by the IGP urging voters to cast their ballot and
immediately leave the polling units. A similar order is expected
to be issued by the Chief of Army Staff ahead of the election,
and the orders are aimed at harassing and intimidating voters
as well as ensuring they do not stay around to prevent the PDP
rigging plans. We urge Nigerians to ignore such unlawful
directives which are not grounded in the Electoral Act, as
pointed out by the INEC Chairman. Nigerians must not only
vote, they must stay behind to protect their votes. Without
being disruptive, they should use their phone cameras to
document proceedings at the various polling booths, so that no
one will tamper with their votes. All they are required to do is
to conduct themselves peacefully.
We are here to sound the alarm loud and clear: We will not
accept accept a repeat of the Ekiti rigging strategy in any form,
modified or
not. Voters must not be harassed or intimidated and they must
be allowed to defend their votes, as supported by the Electoral
Act. Those who are bent on rigging the elections must know
that Nigeria will be under a global spotlight on election day. No
polling booth, no matter where it is located, will escape that
spotlight.
In this regard, we want to commend the international friends of
our country, Nigeria, in particular the United States and Britain,
for their support in making sure that the forthcoming elections
are free, fair, credible and violence-free. Many of you must have
read the OP-ED page article jointly written by US Secretary of
State John Kerry and British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs Phillip Hammond.
We at the APC associate ourselves with that timely article, in
which the authors urged ”all eligible Nigerians to vote, resist
those who attempt to incite violence, and to come together as
one country to defend the country against terrorist threats”.
They went further: ”There are good reasons why the
international spotlight is firmly fixed on Nigeria during this
critical period and why we have come together to support an
open and credible electoral process. Nigeria is Africa’s largest
democracy and what happens there will have an impact well
beyond its borders. A successful election, free from violence
and with wide participation, accurate vote counting, and
responsible leadership from the candidates would inspire the
region and spur future progress and prosperity. It would also be
a historic show of support by
Nigerians for democratic values and an equally firm rejection of
the brutal terrorist group, Boko Haram, and others who
advocate or perpetrate violence.”
We urge all our members and supporters, and indeed all
Nigerians, to show uncommon courage and patriotism by doing
whatever it takes, lawfully, to defend their votes. We urge them
to repudiate those who are planning to foment chaos or rig the
polls.
To those planning to disrupt or rig the elections and instigate
violence, we ask them to heed the warning signals from the
international community, as aptly conveyed by Mr. John Kerry
and Mr Phillip Hammond, that ”any person who incites violence
at any stage in the electoral process, or who seeks power
through unconstitutional means, should be held accountable
and should understand that the consequences will be severe,
both domestically and internationall

Falana Warns Of Military Coup, Says Elections May Not Hold

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has warned that
the March 28 and April 11 elections may be sabotaged by
anti-democratic forces, which could lead the military to stage
a coup d’etat and set in place an interim government.

Mr. Falana, who stated this in a speech delivered at the
Foursquare Gospel Church owned Life Theological Seminary,
Ikorodu, on Sunday, said despite assurances by President
Goodluck Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral
Commission, there was no indication that the election will hold
as billed.
He also warned of the likelihood of post-election violence
should the vote go forward.
Both President Jonathan and the Independent Electoral
Commission chair, Attahiru Jega, have maintained that the new
election dates are sacrosanct.
“There is no indication that the election will hold,” he said. “If
the INEC goes ahead with the conduct of the elections there are
fears that the exercise may be sabotaged by anti-democratic
forces. If the election holds the results may be rejected leading
to a post-election violence which may threaten the corporate
existence of the nation.
“In the circumstance, an interim government may be established
and be saddled with the task of preparing the country for
another political transition. In the alternative, a coup d’etat that
may be staged by the top echelon of the armed forces under the
pretext of restoring law and order and fighting the menace of
insurgency. The military wing of the ruling parties succeeded in
Mali and Burkina Faso. But having divided the country along
ethnic and religious lines, the masterminds of the political
crisis are not likely to profit from the perfidy.”
He therefore, asked Nigerians to prepare “for a long drawn out
battle for the liberation of the country from political and
economic predators”.
In his speech, the lawyer commended the renewed onslaught
against the deadly terror group, Boko Haram, in the North-East
region of Nigeria by both the federal government and the
Nigerian military.
He, however, asked the military to discontinue the court martial
of several solders who had earlier complained about lack of
sophisticated weapons to face the insurgents.
He said the government’s admittance that it purchased new
equipment for the fight to succeed, meant that the soldiers were
justified in the earlier protest.
He also asked the Federal Government to implement the
recommendations of the Ambassador Usman Gilmatiri
presidential panel on insurgency in the north east region and
embark on a special programme to address the problems of
child education and youth unemployment in the region.
On the state of the nation’s economy, Mr. Falana said the bulk
of the intervention funds created by the Goodluck Jonathan-led
administration was for the rich.
According to Mr. Falana, the funds including- Agricultural
Credit Guarantee Scheme (N69billion); Commercial Agricultural
Credit Guarantee Scheme (N200billion); the Nigerian Incentive-
Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending
(N200billion); Small and Medium Enterprises Credit Guarantee
Scheme (N200billion); the SMEs Restructuring and Refinancing
Scheme (N200billion) and Power and Airlines Intervention Fund
(N300billion) are yet to have effect on the economy.
“Sequel to the crash in the price of crude oil the Federal
Government announced that austerity measures would be
imposed on the hapless Nigerian people,” he said. “Because of
the gross mismanagement of the economy by the government
and its allies workers are now salaries for months. After the
elections the people are going to be made to bear the brunt of
the looting of the treasury and costs of running the
government.
“But in spite of the grinding poverty in the land Nigerian
legislators are said to be the highest paid in the world. The
country’s public officers equally receive the highest estacodes
in the world. With over 10 aircraft Nigeria has the largest
presidential fleet among the developing nations in the world.”
The lawyer also accused the Central Bank of Nigeria of
“dollarization of the economy”.
“In a bid to dollarize the economy and destroys the Nigerian
economy the CBN supplies millions of dollars to the foreign
exchange market on a weekly basis,” he said. “Although Nigeria
has become the largest importer of the United States dollars in
the world neither the International Monetary Fund (IMF) nor the
World Bank has ever questioned the reckless devaluation of the
economy. Even, the National Assembly which is debating the
2015 Appropriation Bill has not deemed it to consider the
deleterious effects of the increasing devaluation of the national
currency on the implementation of the Budget.”
The media was also not left out as Mr. Falana accused the
media of diverting attention from Nigeria’s problem of youth
unemployment, infrastructural decay, insecurity, corruption,
currency devaluation to giving undue prominence to the
campaign of calumny and character assassination embarked
upon by some politicians.
“The media have thrown caution to the winds by colluding with
certain politicians to divert attention from the crises of youth
unemployment, infrastructural decay, insecurity, corruption,
currency devaluation etc,” he said. “Thus, by giving undue
prominence to the campaign of calumny and character
assassination embarked upon by some politicians the media
have denied the Nigerian people the opportunity to make
informed decisions on the candidates of their choice.

BREAKING: Court bars use of soldiers in election

.Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, southwest Nigeria,

on Monday, restrained the President Goodluck Jonathan-

led Federal Government from deploying the military to

supervise the coming general elections.

The presiding Judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in his ruling,

declared that it is unconstitutional to deploy military for the

supervision of election without the approval of the National

Assembly.

Nigerian soldiers on patrol in Maiduguri

The ruling of the court, was sequel to a suit filed by Femi

Gbajabiamila, a member of the House of Representatives

representing Surulere Federal Constituency 2 under the platform

of All Progressives Congress, APC against President Goodluck

Jonathan, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Of Army Staff, Chief of Air

Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the Attorney General of the

Federation.

In his argument, Seni Adio, lawyer to the plaintiff, argued that

there was an allegation and evidence that the military inhibited

free movement, free access and intimidation of voters in of

Osun, Ekiti, and Anambra where the military were deployed

during the governorship elections in those states.

In addition, Adio argued further that it is not ideal to deploy the

military to supervise election in a democratic setting.

Consequently, considering what happened in Osun and Ekiti in

2014 and Anambra in November, 2013, he urges the court to

restrain the defendants from using the military in the coming

elections.

Mr. Dele Adeshina, SAN, opposed the application on the ground

that the President being the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed

Forces, is empowered under Armed Forces Act to deploy the

military to maintain law and order.

In his response, Adio said the Armed Forces Act is subordinate

to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Monday’s ruling tallies with that of the Federal High Court in

Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria, which had on Thursday, 29 January,

2015, outlawed the use of the military for election duty across

Nigeria.

The court ruled on the lingering controversy and declared the

use of soldiers as unconstitutional.

Justice Mohammed Rilwan Aikawa ruled that other than for the

purposes of protecting the nation’s territorial integrity, no

constitutional provision allows for the deployment of the

military for elections.

The suit challenging the deployment of military for election

duties was instituted by the Deputy Speaker of the House of

Assembly, Bello Goronyo, representing Goronyo Constituency in

Sokoto State.

Justice Rilwan added that for the Federal Government to do so,

it must have taken recourse to the National Assembly, which

would enact such law.

The presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives

Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari had early in

January warned President Goodluck Jonathan against further

deployment of soldiers to cities and towns during elections.

He said that the soldiers were meant to defend the territorial

integrity of the country and not for policing elections.

Whereas few military men have been deployed to tackle

insurgents in the north east, he said a large number were

deployed to monitor elections.

Also, in its February 16 letter, APC drew Jonathan’s and the

INEC’s attention to the January 29 judgment of Justice R.M.

Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Sokoto and the February 16

decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which outlawed the

President’s unilateral deployment of soldiers for the June 21,

2014 Ekiti State governorship election. It urged them to obey

both decisions.

In the letter signed by the Director, Legal, APC Presidential

Campaign Council, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), the party

argued that by virtue of both decisions, it had become illegal

for the President and INEC to involve members of the armed

forces in electoral matters without the National Assembly’s

permission.

Justice Aikawa restrained the President and INEC “from

engaging the service of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the

security supervision of elections in any manner whatsoever in

any part of Nigeria, without an Act of the National Assembly.”

Justice Abdul Aboki , in his lead judgment in the Ekiti State

Governorship Election appeal delivered on February 16, held

that “even the President of Nigeria has no powers to call on the

Nigerian Armed Forces and to unleash them on peaceful

citizens, who are exercising their franchise to elect their

leaders.

“Whoever unleashed soldiers on Ekiti State disturbed the peace

of the election on June 21, 2014; acted in flagrant breach of the

Constitution and flouted the provisions of the Electoral Act,

which required an enabling environment by civil authorities in

the conduct of elections.”

Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution makes the maintenance of

internal security, including law and order during elections, the

exclusive responsibility of the police.

According to Lagos lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN), it is

erroneous for Prof Jega to say that only the military could

guarantee security during the elections.

To him, once INEC has discharged its constitutional duty of

fixing election dates, the onus is on the police to provide

security and maintain law and order.

Falana recalled that the courts have consistently enjoined the

Federal Government to desist from involving the armed forces in

elections.

He cited the leading judgment of the Court of Appeal in Yussuf

v Obasanjo (2005) 18 NWLR (PT 956) 96, which the court held:

“It is up to the police to protect our nascent democracy and not

the military, otherwise the democracy might be wittingly or

unwittingly militarized. This is not what the citizenry bargained

for in wrestling power from the military in 1999. Conscious step

or steps should be taken to civilianize the polity to ensure the

survival and sustenance of democracy.”

The court, Falana said, reiterated its views in the case of Buhari

v Obasanjo (2005) 1 WRN 1 at 200 when it stated: “In spite of

the non-tolerant nature and behavior of our political class in

this country, we should by all means try to keep armed

personnel of whatever status or nature from being part and

parcel of our election process. The civilian authorities should

be left to conduct and carry out fully the electoral processes at

all levels.”

Upholding the judgment, the Supreme Court stated in Buhari v

Obasanjo (2005) 50 WRN 1 at 313 that the state is obligated to

ensure that “citizens who are sovereign can exercise their

franchise freely, unmolested and undisturbed.”

Falana said going by the verdicts, Prof Jega should ensure that

INEC is not further blackmailed by the military hierarchy.

“On their own part, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the

Service Chiefs should desist from usurping the constitutional

responsibility of the INEC and the Nigeria Police Force,” Falana

added.

How President Jonathan’s Airport shuttles weaken Abuja security, endanger residents

On Saturday, March 21, President Goodluck
Jonathan and his campaign team flew out of
Abuja in two aircrafts for another round of
vote solicitation in Kano and neighbouring
Katsina ahead of the March 28 national
elections.
Four hours before the President left his
home at the Presidential villa that Saturday,
over 200 police officers and about a hundred
soldiers were withdrawn from their beats
around the nation’s capital and made to line
the about 40 kilometres route to the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, some standing
with their rifles on their shoulders, some
sitting on pavements, stones and bare
ground and others snoring away in patrol
cars.
The police wouldn’t say how many officers
are deployed daily to patrol and secure
Abuja, but residents believe the nation’s
capital is under-policed, with some saying
they have never seen a police officer patrol
their areas.
Yet, that Saturday, hundreds of officers, who
could have patrolled streets to check crimes
were mandated to line Mr. Jonathan’s route
for hours, a practice security experts believe
routinely compromises the capital’s security
and exposes residents to robbery,
abductions, rape, assaults and other criminal
acts.
A team of PREMIUM TIMES reporters, who
monitored the president’s airport shuttle
that Saturday, found that nearly all the patrol
vehicles attached to the city’s police
divisions and major intersections in the
capital were withdrawn and used in
transporting officers to locations along the
major expressway from the State House to
the presidential wing of the airport.
The team counted at least 40 police patrol
vehicles parked along the expressway from
the Bolingo Hotel junction up to the
Presidential wing entrance of the Airport.
Each vehicle had at least five well armed
police officers.
That was aside the numerous other police
officers stationed along the route, without
vehicles by their side.
The team’s conservative estimate suggested
that at least 200 police officers were
withdrawn from the city centre to guard the
expressway that day.
Presidency insiders say that practice is
routine, and that there is no plan to review
it.
Apart from the policemen, the reporters also
saw troops from the Guard Brigade in some
strategic locations along the route, especially
by the several suburb localities.
“We saw at least one armoured personnel
carrier with some soldiers near the
intersection leading to Kuje Area Council
before the Airport gate,” one reporter said.
Analysts believe it costs Nigeria several
millions  of naira whenever the President
shuttles to airports.
The numerous vehicles lining the
expressway and the ones on the president’s
convoy would have to be fueled, while the
police officers on guard duty along the route
are paid allowances,” a security official
familiar with the working of the presidential
villa told PREMIUM TIMES. “Presidential
movements are expensive and that is one
thing Nigerians must learn to live with.”
A resident of one pf the estates along the
Abuja Airport expressway, Emmanuel Ogala,
said the security official deployed to guard
the president’s routes at times molest
innocent civilians.
“The roads are closed for like 30 minutes
before the President passes, God help you if
you have an emergency and the president is
traveling,” he said.
Between the President’s travels and
compromised security
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos
recently blamed the president when armed
robbers attacked residents of Lekki Peninsula
on March 12, killing six.
Mr. Fashola said police officers who would
have helped in repelling the bank robbery
were deployed to protect Mr. Jonathan when
he visited the state that day, an argument the
presidency described as unintelligent and
irresponsible.
“Perhaps what would be would have been,
but it’s sad to see all our security personnel,
all our security vehicles deployed to protect
one man,” said Mr. Fashola, who spoke at an
event, An Evening with Buhari and Osinbajo,
in Lagos.
“All the vehicles we bought for the police
were stationed to receive the President in
Lagos. Those policemen have children and
tonight their mothers will have to explain to
them why daddy is not coming home.”
The presidency however described Mr.
Fashola’s statement as “grossly and utterly
irresponsible.”
“We expect that a man of his status, who is
the Governor of a state should speak more
responsibly,” the presidency said in the
statement.
“It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever that
the entire police formation in a state would
be deployed to protect the president of
Nigeria.
“The visit of the President (to) any part of
the country does not necessitate the
depletion of the police force active in that
particular state or its environment.

South Africa Performs World’s First Successful Penis Transplant

The world’s first successful penis transplant was recently
performed at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.
This pioneering operation restored the dignity of a 21-year-old
man who lost his penis when it developed gangrene after a
ritual circumcision, and it has probably also given him back the
ability to father his own children naturally – something doctors
hint he has been trying out for more than a month. “The patient
is very happy and he’s doing well,” says Prof André van der
Merwe, head of Stellenbosch University’s Division of Urology,
who led the surgery. In a marathon nine-hour operation,
doctors surgically transplanted the entire penis (from the glans
to the base) from an organ donor. The patient’s own penis had
to be amputated three years ago in order to save his life,
leaving him with a stump no longer than 1.5cm after which he
was unable to urinate standing up or have sexual intercourse.
The patient has made a full recovery from the transplant, which
took place three months ago. He is able to obtain erections,
urinate standing up and has regained sensation in the organ.
This is the second time that this type of procedure was
attempted, but the first time in history that a successful long-
term result was achieved.
“There is a greater need in South Africa for this type of
procedure than elsewhere in the world, as many young men
lose their penises every year due to complications from ritual
circumcision,” Van der Merwe told Health-e News.
“For a young man of 18 or 19 years the loss of penis can be
deeply traumatic… there are even reports of suicide among
these young men”
Although there are no formal record on the number of penile
amputations per year due to ritual circumcision, one study
reported up to 55 cases in the Eastern Cape alone, and experts
estimate as many as 250 amputations per year across the
country.
“This is a very serious situation. For a young man of 18 or 19
years the loss of penis can be deeply traumatic. He doesn’t
necessarily have the psychological capability to process this.
There are even reports of suicide among these young men,”
says Van der Merwe. The operation was part of a pilot study to
develop a penile transplant procedure that could be performed
in a typical South African hospital theatre setting.
“The research was conducted in partnership with local public
health structures and will be delivered to the people who need
it most,” says Dr Nicola Barsdorf, head of Health Research
Ethics at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and
Health Sciences (FMHS). “Once the surgery is made broadly
available it will be offered in state facilities and accessible to
vulnerable groups that are often unable to afford state-of-the-
art health care.”
Nine more patients will receive penile transplants as part of the
study. This procedure could eventually also be extended to men
who have lost their penises from cancer or as a last-resort
treatment for severe erectile dysfunction due to medication side
effects. The planning and preparation for the study started in
2010. After extensive research Van der Merwe and his surgical
team decided to use some parts of the model and techniques
developed for the first facial transplant. The surgeons
connected blood vessels and nerves as small as 1mm to 2mm
using microsurgery usually employed in plastic and
reconstructive surgery.
“South Africa remains at the forefront of medical progress,” says
Prof Jimmy Volmink, FMHS Dean. “This procedure is another
excellent example of how medical research, technical know-
how and patient-centred care can be combined in the quest to
relieve human suffering.